L.R. Kimball

DB'S CORNER - BLOG 18 Specifier and QC

So, as a member of the Quality Control team, is the Specifier’s role in the CD production theatre one of being backstage, in the background, as the antagonist, or as the protagonist?  While most of us at some point in our career have played each role or will do so, it can depend on the Specifier, the CD team, the project schedule, and maybe even some part not written in the script.  It seems like the best starting point would be to describe Quality Control (QC), then the players, their roles, and some examples. 

 

While during construction the terms most frequently used are Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC), this post will use the term QC, as it relates to the production of the Construction Documents.  Each drawing sheet and each specification page have a common start: a blank piece of paper.  Therefore as information is placed on each sheet during every design phase, albeit the Schematic Documents (SD), Design Development Documents (DD), or Contract Documents (CD), all team members should be reviewing what is produced to eliminate discrepancies, omissions, and errors.  The importance of ‘catching’ issues increases proportionally to finalizing each document set, CDs being the most crucial.  We are looking for harmony between the drawings and the project manual, among all drawings, and among all specification Sections.  All work to construct the project should be ‘owned,’ located one time in the documents and identified as a work scope by the appropriate construction party.

 

Although the size of the design team will vary with the project scope and size, members generally involved in a project will be the Specifier, designer(s), drafters, engineers, and project manager.  The team’s effectiveness should improve with the education, experience, knowledge base, and communication skills of each member.  If everyone is performing their work correctly, timely, and thoroughly, the design process parallels a well-rehearsed play.  While cast members should be pursuing activities commensurate with their job responsibility, all should be reviewing the documents to make sure they are clear, concise, correct, and complete.  Design team members’ responsibilities include: the Specifier, who coordinates and prepares written documents and specifications in the project manual including bidding procedures; the designer, who transforms the Owner’s written program into a 3-dimensional representation, which includes material selections; the drafters, who transform the designer’s representations into working drawings; the engineers, who input systems confirmed by detailed calculations; and the project manager, playing the role of the director.

 

On occasion, a project schedule and scope is such that the Specifier just ‘cranks’ without any scheduled time to perform a document quality review, which in this instance equates to being backstage.  More frequently, the Specifier will ‘generally’ review the drawings throughout the process but offers little to no comment regarding quality, which in this instance equates to being in the background.  This is like my parents who told me as a child when visitors were being entertained, “Children are to be seen and not heard.”  When performing QC, we want the Specifier to be heard.  Still further, there are some Specifiers who will ‘closely’ review the drawings, and who, depending on what they find and how their communication skills are honed and the fine line of when to make comment, could end up playing the role of the antagonist or the protagonist.

 

An experienced Specifier should be able to find more issues, and sooner, than a less seasoned Specifier, whether they are discrepancies, omissions, or errors.  To this end, it is better for a company to employ a Specifier who is not an intern or even a ‘recently’ licensed professional, but someone having years in the field.  If the Specifier is licensed with experience, the QC program is enhanced, as the possibility exists for discovering multiple issues, even those code-related.  Ramping up the Specifier’s qualifications, more is brought to the table when CSI certifications are obtained, such as Certified Construction Specifier (CCS); even more so as a Certified Construction Contract Administrator (CCCA).  Other certifications are available that relate to the environment and sustainability, which further improves the QC program.

 

Lastly, a few examples spanning my three-decade career to prove the Specifier can play the role of the protagonist and alert other design team members of ‘issues’ discovered within the document package.  If not found prior to bidding, CA staff would have to address these conditions and details in the field, with some being processed as a change order:

-     Finding an interior designer’s toilet room tile elevations that do not take into account the specific location of toilet room accessories; one example being a wainscot ceramic tile installation with half of a mirror on the tile and other half above tile.

-     Finding a situation where a prefabricated structure roof load is specified differently 3 times: on structural drawings; on architectural drawings as copied from the manufacturer’s guide drawings; and in the specification as copied from the manufacturer’s guide specification.

-     Finding that incorrect toilet partition dimensions are noted on Drawings based on material selected.

-     Finding work scopes that are not specifically defined, such as who provides firestopping, caulking, painting, and concrete pads in multiple prime contracts?

-     Finding toilet accessories legend on Drawing indicating selections from multiple series instead of one series that would maintain a consistent aesthetic within a room; in this instance one accessory had a straight plane while an adjacent accessory had a contoured plane (both accessories made by the same manufacturer).

-     Finding an inappropriate cartoon on a consultant’s drawing that would have embarrassed the entire design team and alienated the Owner.

 

In summary, every design team member should participate in QC to create a better end product, but the Specifier has the unique role to discover more issues, having to work the project manual while interpreting the drawings.

DB'S CORNER - BLOG 17 WOOD VENEERS

Although 2 people could argue whether trees originated via evolution or design, they and everyone else must concur that trees exist … a lot of them … not only in numbers around the globe, but in various characteristics like species (over 23,000 worldwide), heights (sequoias over 375 feet tall), density, unit weight, age (bristlecone pines nearly 4,750 years old), grain, and color, as well as their ability to be worked and finished.  By one estimate, 1/3 of the US is covered by forests having almost 247 billion trees over 1 inch in diameter.  Wood is used extensively in construction from non-descript internal wall blocking to highly aesthetic wall paneling or door veneers.  Several exotic species of domestic and international wood used for finished products were observed when the CSI Pittsburgh Chapter recently visited a local wood distributor who markets nationally.

This distributor stocks approximately 125 wood species, about 40% domestic and 60% imported.  Although their most popular exotic wood is African walnut, they also had a number of African mahogany slabs that were 8/4 thick by 24 inches wide by 12 feet long at $9.00 per board foot to Pink Ivory, the most expensive, at $150.00 per board foot.  Two definitions seem necessary with that last sentence: one is wood thickness, which is generally measured in quarters (x/4), where a piece of wood 4/4 is 1 inch thick and a 6/4 piece is 1-1/2 inch thick; and board foot, which is defined as a three-dimensional unit of measure where the volume is one square foot (one-foot length of a board by one foot wide) by one inch thick, which translates to 1 ft × 1 ft × 1 in = 12 in × 12 in × 1 in = 144 in³ or 1⁄12 ft³.  Board Feet can be calculated as BF = W x T x L / 12, where BF = board feet, W = nominal lumber width (in), T = nominal lumber thickness (in), and L = nominal lumber length (ft).  Most flooring, siding, and paneling are sold by the square foot, a two-dimensional unit of measure, which is the length x width, regardless of the thickness.  A board foot will exactly match a square foot only when the thickness is 1 inch.  On occasion, wood might also be sold by the linear foot, a one-dimensional unit of measure using length only.  There are other rules based on whether: hardwoods or softwoods are being measured; wood lengths are shorter or longer than a whole number, i.e., 10’-0”; and lumber size is measured by nominal or actual dimensions.

When used for flooring, a stronger type wood that does not dent is better.  One can relate hardness among woods via the Janka hardness test, which measures the resistance of a wood type to withstand denting and wear.  It measures the pounds - force (lbf) required to embed an 11.28 mm (0.444 in) steel ball into wood to half the ball's diameter, obviously leaving an indentation in the wood.  Out of 109 woods listed on one internet site where tests were performed according to ASTM D 1037 methods, the hardest is Australian Buloke, a species of ironwood, at 5060 lbf; ipe, a Brazilian type walnut used frequently for exterior decks, at 3684 lbf; stranded bamboo, technically a grass, at 3000 lbf; red oak at 1290 lbf; Douglas fir at 660 lbf; balsa at 100 lbf; and cuipo, the softest wood in the world, at 22 lbf.

 

Depending on its use and cost, exotic wood is used as an exposed veneer in a panel, such as on doors.  The finest and rarest logs are sent to companies that produce veneer, which is accomplished either by ‘peeling’ the trunk of a tree or by slicing large rectangular blocks of wood known as flitches. The advantage to this practice is twofold: first, it provides the most financial gain to the log’s owner; and secondly, and of more importance to the woodworker, it greatly expands the amount of usable wood. While a log used for solid lumber is cut into thick pieces, usually no thinner than 1-1/8 inches (3 cm), veneers are sometimes cut as thin as 1/40 of an inch (0.6mm), the thickness used on flush wood doors.

 

The following are miscellaneous comments made by the distributor during our visit of their warehouse and woodworking shops: occasionally a project will require FSC rated wood to meet LEED requirements, but doing so will generally cost from 10% - 30% more due to higher amount of waste; soft wood has a higher amount of resin versus hard wood; ipe is very dense, will sink in water, and will not be bothered by insects; purpleheart is really purple in color, yellowheart is very yellow in color, and yellow sandher is actually orange in color.  There were a number of elegant fine grained woods such as sapelle and white limba.  Before the tour, I looked on the internet for different exotics and was struck by something called snakewood; it turns out the distributor had a half log of that species, but I did not notice that listing on the handout until after leaving the distributor’s facility.

 

Most wood species can be found on various internet websites.  Following are a couple of exotic veneers to show ranges of various characteristics.

 

   black limba (west African).  Gold background with black marbling and subtle shimmer.

 

  padauk (west African).  Bright golden orange stripe.

 

 purpleheart (Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname).  Nice even purple color.

 

    zebrawood (central America - Honduras, Nicaragua, & Brazil).  Also known as Zebrano, which is imported from central Africa, (Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo).   Pronounced dark stripes on straw colored background.

 

 red oak.  Many times as the generally basis and cost default of 100.  While every state has an official state tree, there is a current campaign to have the oak as the national tree.

 

 movinqui - salmon (west African).  Yellow to orangish brown, which tends to darken with age.  Many times exhibits figured grain patterns such as mottle or ripple. 

 

 cocobolo (central America).  Fiery red and orange with darker grain markings.

 

 maple burl. 

 

   snakewood  (Suriname, South America).

 

 

Miscellaneous Tree Facts:  In one day, a large tree can lift up to 100 gallons of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air.  One large tree can provide a day's supply of oxygen for up to four people.  Most trees do not have a tap root or have roots that grow very deep but have roots that are in the top 12 inches of soil, sometimes extending two to three times the tree width.  Trees receive an estimated 90% of their nutrition from the atmosphere and only 10% from the soil.  No tree dies of old age, but is generally killed by insects, disease, or by people.  One tree can absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces while driving 10,000 miles.  Burls are tree growths where the grain has grown in a deformed manner, commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth that is filled with small knots from dormant buds, and which can create an interesting aesthetic.

 

Odds and Ends:  A local Pittsburgh building, The August Wilson Center for African American Culture, opened in the fall of 2009 and has first floor wood paneling and flush wood doors fabricated from zebrawood, a truly striking aesthetic.  Lastly, I have a close friend who likes to smoke pipes with about 100 pipes in his collection.  My favorite and the most exquisite is constructed from tiger maple, a wood species not previously known to me.  My hope prior to retirement is having several projects where exotic woods species are selected and therefore need to be specified.

 

[PS.  Upon completion and review of this blog entry for posting, I just read the article “The New Wood” on pages 18 - 27 in the December 2012 issue of The Construction Specifier, which has additional information on wood veneers, panel cores, and LEED related information.  This issue should be downloadable from the CSI website.]

Although 2 people could argue whether trees originated via evolution or design, they and everyone else must concur that trees exist … a lot of them … not only in numbers around the globe, but in various characteristics like species (over 23,000 worldwide), heights (sequoias over 375 feet tall), density, unit weight, age (bristlecone pines nearly 4,750 years old), grain, and color, as well as their ability to be worked and finished.  By one estimate, 1/3 of the US is covered by forests having almost 247 billion trees over 1 inch in diameter.  Wood is used extensively in construction from non-descript internal wall blocking to highly aesthetic wall paneling or door veneers.  Several exotic species of domestic and international wood used for finished products were observed when the CSI Pittsburgh Chapter recently visited a local wood distributor who markets nationally.

This distributor stocks approximately 125 wood species, about 40% domestic and 60% imported.  Although their most popular exotic wood is African walnut, they also had a number of African mahogany slabs that were 8/4 thick by 24 inches wide by 12 feet long at $9.00 per board foot to Pink Ivory, the most expensive, at $150.00 per board foot.  Two definitions seem necessary with that last sentence: one is wood thickness, which is generally measured in quarters (x/4), where a piece of wood 4/4 is 1 inch thick and a 6/4 piece is 1-1/2 inch thick; and board foot, which is defined as a three-dimensional unit of measure where the volume is one square foot (one-foot length of a board by one foot wide) by one inch thick, which translates to 1 ft × 1 ft × 1 in = 12 in × 12 in × 1 in = 144 in³ or 1⁄12 ft³.  Board Feet can be calculated as BF = W x T x L / 12, where BF = board feet, W = nominal lumber width (in), T = nominal lumber thickness (in), and L = nominal lumber length (ft).  Most flooring, siding, and paneling are sold by the square foot, a two-dimensional unit of measure, which is the length x width, regardless of the thickness.  A board foot will exactly match a square foot only when the thickness is 1 inch.  On occasion, wood might also be sold by the linear foot, a one-dimensional unit of measure using length only.  There are other rules based on whether: hardwoods or softwoods are being measured; wood lengths are shorter or longer than a whole number, i.e., 10’-0”; and lumber size is measured by nominal or actual dimensions.

When used for flooring, a stronger type wood that does not dent is better.  One can relate hardness among woods via the Janka hardness test, which measures the resistance of a wood type to withstand denting and wear.  It measures the pounds - force (lbf) required to embed an 11.28 mm (0.444 in) steel ball into wood to half the ball's diameter, obviously leaving an indentation in the wood.  Out of 109 woods listed on one internet site where tests were performed according to ASTM D 1037 methods, the hardest is Australian Buloke, a species of ironwood, at 5060 lbf; ipe, a Brazilian type walnut used frequently for exterior decks, at 3684 lbf; stranded bamboo, technically a grass, at 3000 lbf; red oak at 1290 lbf; Douglas fir at 660 lbf; balsa at 100 lbf; and cuipo, the softest wood in the world, at 22 lbf.

 

Depending on its use and cost, exotic wood is used as an exposed veneer in a panel, such as on doors.  The finest and rarest logs are sent to companies that produce veneer, which is accomplished either by ‘peeling’ the trunk of a tree or by slicing large rectangular blocks of wood known as flitches. The advantage to this practice is twofold: first, it provides the most financial gain to the log’s owner; and secondly, and of more importance to the woodworker, it greatly expands the amount of usable wood. While a log used for solid lumber is cut into thick pieces, usually no thinner than 1-1/8 inches (3 cm), veneers are sometimes cut as thin as 1/40 of an inch (0.6mm), the thickness used on flush wood doors.

 

The following are miscellaneous comments made by the distributor during our visit of their warehouse and woodworking shops: occasionally a project will require FSC rated wood to meet LEED requirements, but doing so will generally cost from 10% - 30% more due to higher amount of waste; soft wood has a higher amount of resin versus hard wood; ipe is very dense, will sink in water, and will not be bothered by insects; purpleheart is really purple in color, yellowheart is very yellow in color, and yellow sandher is actually orange in color.  There were a number of elegant fine grained woods such as sapelle and white limba.  Before the tour, I looked on the internet for different exotics and was struck by something called snakewood; it turns out the distributor had a half log of that species, but I did not notice that listing on the handout until after leaving the distributor’s facility.

 

Most wood species can be found on various internet websites.  Following are a couple of exotic veneers to show ranges of various characteristics.

 

  black limba (west African).  Gold background with black marbling and subtle shimmer.

 

  padauk (west African).  Bright golden orange stripe.

 

 purpleheart (Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname).  Nice even purple color.

 

    zebrawood (central America - Honduras, Nicaragua, & Brazil).  Also known as Zebrano, which is imported from central Africa, (Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo).   Pronounced dark stripes on straw colored background.

 

 red oak.  Many times as the generally basis and cost default of 100.  While every state has an official state tree, there is a current campaign to have the oak as the national tree.

 

 movinqui - salmon (west African).  Yellow to orangish brown, which tends to darken with age.  Many times exhibits figured grain patterns such as mottle or ripple. 

 

 cocobolo (central America).  Fiery red and orange with darker grain markings.

 

 maple burl. 

 

   snakewood  (Suriname, South America).

 

 

Miscellaneous Tree Facts:  In one day, a large tree can lift up to 100 gallons of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air.  One large tree can provide a day's supply of oxygen for up to four people.  Most trees do not have a tap root or have roots that grow very deep but have roots that are in the top 12 inches of soil, sometimes extending two to three times the tree width.  Trees receive an estimated 90% of their nutrition from the atmosphere and only 10% from the soil.  No tree dies of old age, but is generally killed by insects, disease, or by people.  One tree can absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces while driving 10,000 miles.  Burls are tree growths where the grain has grown in a deformed manner, commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth that is filled with small knots from dormant buds, and which can create an interesting aesthetic.

 

Odds and Ends:  A local Pittsburgh building, The August Wilson Center for African American Culture, opened in the fall of 2009 and has first floor wood paneling and flush wood doors fabricated from zebrawood, a truly striking aesthetic.  Lastly, I have a close friend who likes to smoke pipes with about 100 pipes in his collection.  My favorite and the most exquisite is constructed from tiger maple, a wood species not previously known to me.  My hope prior to retirement is having several projects where exotic woods species are selected and therefore need to be specified.

 

[PS.  Upon completion and review of this blog entry for posting, I just read the article “The New Wood” on pages 18 - 27 in the December 2012 issue of The Construction Specifier, which has additional information on wood veneers, panel cores, and LEED related information.  This issue should be downloadable from the CSI website.]

DB's Corner: The Making of a Specifications Writer

By Dennis Buirge

So, what are the various ways one can become a specification writer?  Various pathways follow, which are listed in no particular order:  ‘The Grandfather’ - where one initiates work in a professional office and after years of toil learns the specification writing trade; ‘The Technical Schooler’ - where one learns to draw and/or write specifications at a technical school and then works in a professional office applying their trade; and ‘The Professional’ - where the one writing specifications is a registered architect, engineer, landscape architect, or another professional and in the firm works as a specialist, project architect/engineer, project manager, or principal.  In each of these pathways the actual learning experience regarding specification writing generally occurs via a mentor, some type of schooling, or a Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Chapter course.  For me, it was the latter case in both instances.

No matter what the pathway or learning experience, the goal of every specification writer should be the same: prepare specifications that are clear, concise, correct, and complete.  As a registered architect (RA) my door was opened by a former employer who volunteered me as the office specifier.

In 1973 as a neophyte intern architectural draftsman, I once asked “what’s that guy sitting over there doing?”  The response was “he’s the spec writer”; my immediate reply was “what is a spec writer”?  After spending 5 years at a Division 1 nationally known university where the emphasis was design, design, and more design, not one class period was spent discussing office practice, mechanical drafting techniques (important in that era), or specification writing.

After being volunteered to write specifications approximately 15 years after the indoctrination of working in an architect’s office, it was necessary to find a crash course … enter the CSI Pittsburgh Chapter, where specification writing was annually taught.  My career is forever indebted to those instructors who for 10 weeks opened my eyes to proper specification writing techniques and protocol.  As a thank you, over 10 years were spent as an instructor for the specification writer and construction administration modules for that Chapter’s certification classes.

 

As a current full time architectural specification writer for L.R. Kimball, each day presents an opportunity to utilize lessons learned, lo those 25 years ago.  The goal throughout those decades and now, remains constant, which is to: write ‘crystal’ CLEAR specifications that can be easily, quickly, and uniformly interpreted by all readers; write ‘succinctly’ CONCISE specifications such as using the imperative mood to shorten each page of the project manual while maintaining its content; write ‘technically’ CORRECT specifications according to industry standards and manufacturer’s recommendation, coordinating with their representative when possible; and write ‘thoroughly’ COMPLETE specifications without errors/omissions that are properly coordinated with the contract drawings.

 Conclusion:  I like my job … and seeing the fruitfulness of the written word during the ribbon cutting ceremony when each building is dedicated and then utilized by its occupants!

DB'S CORNER - BLOG 14 JOINT SEALANTS 101

There are several building products where the coordination between drawings and specifications are less than stellar, particularly joint sealants and painting.  This results from the number of those systems that are applied to various substrates as necessitated by project conditions.  How many times have you seen a drawing note that says “joint sealant” and the specification identifies over 7 or 8 sealant systems?  Can the contractor properly interpret what is being portrayed in the contract documents (CDs) for each condition?  A similar situation occasionally occurs with painting.  So what is behind all those sealants and why on occasion are numerous joint sealants required on a project?

 

Historical.  Joint sealants having been around for millennia, recorded twice in the book of Genesis: usage of tar in Noah’s Ark and bitumen at the Tower of Babel on the plains of Shinar.  Naturally occurring tar and pitch have been used throughout the history of building.  More currently, say prior to 1900s, many sealants evolved from mineral, vegetable, or animal substances.  Modern polymeric sealants were developed in the early 1930s; newest polymers like silyl-terminated polyether (STP) and polyurea are now available in the U.S.  No matter the material, the purpose of a joint sealant is to prevent water, air, and other environmental elements from ingressing and egressing a structure, while permitting limited substrate movement.  A similar term used to fill gaps and cracks between building components is caulking, however the main difference between caulk and sealant is elasticity, where caulks tend to become rigid when dry and are intended in areas with minimal expansion and contraction, while sealants tend to remain flexible and can be used in areas prone to expansion and contraction.

 

Selection Considerations.  Since joint sealants cannot make up for poor substrate conditions or improper or poor joint design, one should pursue proper solutions considering: a durable product appropriate for its environmental exposure and function; a design allowing for cyclic activity in moving joints versus a static joint, which is defined as moving less than 7-1/2% of the joint width; and sealant type and related accessories commensurate with the substrate.  Sealant product selection considerations include:

-  Joint Design:  amount of expected movement, installation practicality, interface with adjacent materials, and desired aesthetic.

-  Durability Properties:  resistance to moisture, temperature, cyclic movement, bio-degradation, and ultraviolet light (UV).

-  Physical Properties:  tear strength, fatigue resistance, modulus-of-elasticity, and stress and strain recovery.

-  Installation Properties:  sealant rheology (flowability) using non-sag sealants on vertical joints and pourable or non-sag sealants on horizontal joints, pot life, tooling time, tack-free time, and application temperature ranges.

 

Sealant Types.  Generally, sealants can be separated into two forms, preformed and liquid applied, that cure via different methods.

FACTORY PREFORMED:  consisting of dense and cellular gaskets, extruded and molded seals, and compression systems most often fabricated from preformed silicone or preformed foam.

LIQUID APPLIED:

-  Latex:  a water-based product for interior and exterior use in residential and light commercial applications for movement under 25%.

-  Acrylic:  a solvent-based product, mainly an exterior use in residential and light commercial applications with a maximum movement of 7-1/2%.

-  Urethanes:  an elastomeric sealant used in industrial and commercial applications with very good movement up to 50%; should not be used in structural glazing (avoid direct contact with glass); excellent adhesion, generally not requiring a primer; and can be formulated for good UV resistance.

-  Silicones:  an elastomeric sealant with an excellent movement to 100%; it can be used on many substrates, especially glass, but a stain test is recommended on porous materials such as concrete and natural stone (non-staining and non-bleeding formulations are available where aesthetic considerations are important); most formulations are not paintable; and are about 1/3 more costly than urethanes.

-  Polysulfides:  one of early high-performance elastomeric sealants with good performance in submerged applications; has a maximum movement of 25%; and requires primers on most substrates.

-  Butyls: a solvent based product that is stringy and difficult to apply neatly, it is generally used in concealed applications such as under door thresholds and in curtain wall and aluminum framing systems with a maximum movement of 7-1/2%.

CURE METHODS:

-  Moisture:  a single or multi-component formulation that cures by moisture in the air.

-  Chemical:  a single or multi-component formulation that cures by chemical mixing.

-  Acetoxy:  an older chemistry formulation that cures by an acid, which releases an odorous gas and can negatively affect metals; and used frequently in bathrooms and toilet rooms due to it having anti-fungal properties.

 

Specifications:  While there are as many as 23 ASTM standards and guidelines for materials, test methods, and installation, most specifications refer to ASTM C 834 for latex based sealants and ASTM C 920 for elastomeric sealants.  Each joint sealant type occurring in a project needs to be specified with the following as the minimum information to be included: appropriate ASTM reference; Type, being either single (S) or multiple component (M); Grade, being either non-sag (NS) or pourable (P); Movement Class (12-1/2, 25, 50, 100/50); and Use based on substrate type or exposure (there are 7 options).  Joint sealants are most frequently found in specification Section 079200 - Joint Sealants, however CSI’s MasterFormat includes the following Section references in the publication index:  078443 - Fire-Resistant Sealants, 079100 - Preformed Joint Seals, 079219 - Acoustical Joint Sealants, 321273 - Asphalt Paving Joint Sealants, and 321373 - Concrete Paving Joint Sealants.  In projects with multiple prime contracts, specifying joint sealants for engineering work scopes in Divisions 21 through 28 must be coordinated with Section 079200 that represents part of the architectural work scope.

 

Back to my original question about coordinating the joint sealants as specified to those referenced on the Drawings.  In a good - better - best world, the best coordination would be identifying each joint sealant by a number, say JS-1, JS-2, and JS-3 or maybe a letter JS-A, JS-B, JS-C, with that designation also being referenced as a Drawing note.  If the detail note only says “joint sealant”, there will be a certain amount of assumption made by the contractor, especially if two sealant types are specified for one substrate material.  Ambiguity is what we want to eliminate, therefore design team members need to discuss the approach to coordination, preferably at the beginning of the CD phase.

DB'S CORNER - BLOG 13; TESSALLATION

by Dennis Buirge

POTENTIAL SCENARIO: A client sophisticated in design and construction calls the architect to discuss a potential signature new building. The project manager (PM) and project architect (PA) attend the meeting with Facilities’ personnel. As conversation occurs about the program and building aesthetics are reviewed, the Owner identifies the desire for a large multistory entrance having a tessellated skylight with a corresponding tessellated floor pattern. The PM and PA silently turn to one another with that quizzical stare kept hidden from the client, and respond, ‘sure … we can do that’! After the meeting, the PM and PA assemble the assigned design staff to discuss the project and asks if anyone is familiar with tessellated assemblies. The specification writer questions, ‘are we using rhomboids, triangles, or another geometric shape’?

With that specification writer reading the May 2010 issue of The Construction Specifier as published by CSI, specifically the article ‘Getting Off the Rectangular Grid’ on page 84, the spec writer or anyone else would have a good understanding regarding the Owner’s request in the aforementioned scenario. The following link references that article from CSI’s archives: http://www.constructionspecifier.com/search/.

The term tessallare comes from a Latin background and means ‘to pave with tile’ (actually, tessares, which are small pieces of material such as marble, glass, or tile used in mosaic work). Tessellation may also be defined as completely covering a surface with a repeated shape or grouping of shapes and without gaps or overlapping, such as dividing a surface into polygons, i.e., multi-sided shapes.  In other words, a tessellated surface can be thought of as one being constructed or covered with tile-like panels.  In nature, tessellated shape examples can be seen in a turtle shell, honeycomb, pineapple, giraffe markings, fish scales, and divisions in a spider web.

 Tessellations of squares, triangles and hexagons are the simplest forms and frequently seen in everyday life. The pattern can occur on flat planes or on curved surfaces. They have been traced back to civilizations around 4000 BC and were also used by the Greeks in making mosaic designs. Throughout history, tessellated examples can be found in most cultures. In the 20th century, hexagonal modules are easily observable in Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes and irregularly shaped Dymaxion map. We see them today in building facades, floor, wall, and ceiling finishes/systems. 

New software tools such as CAD and BIM allow easier implementation of tessellated shapes in architectural designs using various geometries.  Geometries can be grouped into several patterns: regular tessellations using regular polygons (equilateral triangles, squares, and hexagons), semi-regular tessellations, and demi-regular tessellations. Another branch of shapes use irregular polygons, while a non-periodic tessellation does not have a repetitious pattern. Tessellations can be altered by elongation or skewing of shapes. Some names can be quite long, testing one’s pronunciation abilities, like one shape, known as a rhombicosidodecahedron or as a truncated icosidodecahedron.

Mathematical formulae can be found, however algebraic formulations transcend the intent of this blog. Basic formations can be advanced by various embellishments, such as modifying panel heights to create different planes, folding panels to create facets, and coloration. Beyond aesthetics, panel surfaces can be treated to perform other functions, such as acoustic enhancement by perforations or micro-perforations.  Design and installation of tessellated shapes must be coordinated with building utilities, which could include sprinklers, HVAC diffusers and grilles, light fixtures, and communication systems to create a completely integrated ceiling or wall system.

 A tessellated roof assembly can convert a previous outdoor space into a dry public area, some examples being the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court at the British Museum in London, and the King’s Cross Station renovation for the upcoming 2012 Olympics, as well as new structures like the now 12 year old Eden Project Biomes in Cornwall, England.  The following photograph is of the King’s Cross Station, a master planned interior framed tessellation by John McAslan +Partners and can be seen on the following website with other London construction for the upcoming 2012 Olympics: http://archrecord.construction.com/features/2012/London-Now/.

 

  

 

 

DB's Corner - Aluminum Finishes

by Dennis Buirge

After being volunteered to write specifications approximately 25 years ago, I am still amazed at the knowledge base one must have to prepare accurate specifications.  This relates to not only knowing original material, but also keeping up with changes to industry standards and company mergers.  Feeling my oats regarding the knowledge of the aluminum finish standards, specifications for exterior sheet aluminum wall panels were prepared referencing AAMA 2605.  The manufacturer’s representative, upon review of the draft, politely informed me that the finish specification was improperly referenced.  Do you know why?

Decades ago while still a neophyte to writing specifications, someone was kind enough to explain potential finishes on aluminum products using American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) standards.  At that time, the AAMA standards used 3 digit numbers; however, the standards were revised to 4 digits around 1998.  A ‘good’ system coating currently referencing AMMA 2603 - Pigmented Organic Coatings on Aluminum Extrusions and Panels, formerly 603, uses thermosetting acrylics, polyamides (Nylon), polyolefins (polyethylene or polypropylene), and PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride) and essentially covers the lower end coating systems.  The ‘better’ and ‘best’ systems use PVDF (PolyVinyliDene Fluoride) or fluoropolymers, better known by their trade names of Kynar or Hylar and according to an internet website are the number one specified architectural coating for aluminum in the world. These systems use higher performing coatings such as aliphatic urethanes, super-durable siliconized polyesters, and PVDF powder coatings. AAMA 2604 - High Performance Organic Coatings on Aluminum Extrusions and Panels, formerly 604, contains a minimum of 50% by weight of either Kynar 500 or Hylar 5000 resin, while AAMA 2605 - Superior Organic Coatings on Aluminum Extrusions and Panels, formerly 605, contains a minimum of 70% by weight of either resin. These superior coatings exhibit superior color retention, chalk resistance, corrosion resistance, flexibility, stain resistance, and overall durability over AAMA 603 coatings.

 It was only several years ago that a lesson was learned regarding the difference of aluminum finishes and standards.  Wanting a superior two coat 70% fluoropolymer finish on the exterior sheet aluminum wall panels and related sheet trim, AAMA 2605 was specified.  The ‘draft’ version of the specification was transmitted to the manufacturer’s representative for technical review.  It was then of learning why AAMA 2605 finish does not always apply to aluminum.  But why?  The AAMA 2603 - 2605 series relates to an extruded aluminum substrate (ASTM B 221 - Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Wire, Shapes, and Tubes) … it does not apply to a sheet coil coated aluminum substrate (ASTM B 209 - Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate).  So then, what is the proper reference?  Specify AAMA 620 for sheet aluminum substrates and AAMA 621 for sheet steel substrates.  As Ricky Nelson sang in the 1972 chorus of Garden Party, “I learned my lesson well”.

DB's Corner: Cool Terms

 by Dennis Buirge

 
There are times during specification editing when the following question comes to mind: How many contractors truly know the meaning of that sentence I just wrote?  Language in some specification software packages incorporate terms not normally used by the general public.  Does the following sentence, which incorporates terms found in some construction related project manuals, make sense to you?  "Use laitance to verify that the deleterious substrate is acceptable to code required dunnage." 

This blog identifies and defines three of these not so commonly used specification related terms. 

LAITANCE:  This is a result of the improper placement and finishing of concrete.  When concrete is placed containing excessive water, when the concrete mixture is overworked, when improper or excessive finishing is performed, or when any combination of the aforementioned occurs, a wear layer of cement and aggregate fines can accumulate on the concrete wear layer.  A milky white substance, which we call laitance, is the accumulation of fine particles on the surface of fresh concrete and is caused by the upward movement of water.  The root word of laitance, lait, is French based and means milk.  What happens if the laitance is not removed?  The base concrete without any subsequent finish covering can cause dusting.  If any type of coating or paint is to be applied to the laitance bearing concrete that finish material will not properly bond to the concrete due to laitance interference, since concrete requires a clean and sound substrate; the coating most likely will delaminate over time.  If any finish flooring such a vinyl tile is to be applied, the flooring will again over time delaminate, since the adhesive is bonding to the laitance and not to the concrete.  Therefore, various finish flooring specifications should include a paragraph in PART 3 - EXECUTION requiring the removal of any laitance.  Wording in the Examination or Preparation Articles might be something like the following:

Examination:  Verify that finishes of substrates comply with tolerances and other requirements specified in other Sections and that substrates are free of cracks, ridges, depressions, laitance,, and deleterious deposits that might interfere with floor covering adhesion.

Surface Preparation:  Prepare concrete leaving sound surfaces free of laitance, glaze, efflorescence, curing compounds, form-release agents, deleterious films, and other contaminants incompatible with finish flooring system materials.

DELETERIOUS:  There are many problems that can occur during an installation, application, and construction of various products.  When something is harmful or its use causes trouble, often in a subtle or an unexpected way, it can be considered deleterious.  One can better understand a term when considering synonyms and antonyms, some of which for deleterious are as follows:  Synonyms - adverse, bad, damaging, dangerous, harmful, injurious, and noxious; and Antonyms - advantageous, beneficial, benign, favorable, innocent, inoffensive, and safe.  The reference of deleterious in specifications is used as an adjective and should include a noun such as film, deposit, effect, result or like term.  The word deleterious occurs in both of the aforementioned examples for laitance.

DUNNAGE:  During construction it is always beneficial to have shop-fabricated and manufactured materials delivered to the site, stored, and handled unharmed and ready for incorporation into the project.  The term dunnage is taking from the shipping industry where it means ‘pieces of wood, matting, or similar material used in stowing cargo in a ship’s hold’ with another definition being ‘loose packing material used to protect a ship’s cargo from damage during transport’.  The Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) defines dunnage as “materials or devices used in the securing and/or bracing of products during shipments”.  During a quick internet investigation, I was unable to find a synonym or antonym for dunnage.  The following MasterSpec example using the term dunnage in a specification most likely would be found in the Delivery, Storage, and Handling Article in PART 1 - GENERAL:  Store materials to permit easy access for inspection and identification.  Keep steel members off ground and spaced by using pallets, dunnage, or other supports and spacers.  Protect steel members and packaged materials from corrosion and deterioration.

Next time: When editing, reading, or interpreting specifications, you should understand the meaning of these three less commonly used, construction related terms; cool terms I like to use.

{DB's Corner - #9} Mood Writing

 by Dennis Buirge

Various English subjects such as grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and syntax have always been my worst topics of study with little to no interest over decades.  More learning regarding proper English usage has occurred during specification writing than any previous attempt.  Of particular interest to preferred specification writing techniques is the sentence mood.  Depending on which internet sites are reviewed, 4 major moods seem to be identified, (imperative, indicative, interrogative, and subjunctive) along with several minor moods (infinitive, declarative, exclamative, optative, and that one seeming to be so pervasive today … cursing).

The four major moods in alphabetical order are defined as follows:

• Imperative - to express a request or command, such as ‘paint the walls a white color’
• Indicative - to make a factual statement, such as ‘the architect designs the building’
• Interrogative - a question, generally initiating with the W words of who, what, where, when, why, and how, such as ‘who builds the building?’
• Subjunctive - to show a wish, doubt, or anything else contrary to fact or action that has not yet occurred, such as ‘the Owner requested the Contractor submit his payment application before the end of the month’. 

 According to the Project Resource Manual (PRM), only the indicative and imperative moods are referenced regarding proper specification writing.  So what is the major difference and what does The Construction Specification Institute (CSI) recommend as the preferred specification writing mood(s)? 

The older method, and one used by those who have not been trained via CSI philosophies, is the indicative mood.  This method generally starts with a noun and then identifies the action, causing a longer sentence than the imperative mood.  An example of the indicative mood would be, ‘The general contractor shall secure drywall with metal screws.’  This type sentence structure can cause unnecessary wordiness, repetitiveness, and monotony.  The imperative mood on the other hand generally starts with a verb and then identifies the action.  An example of the previous sentence in the imperative mood would be, ‘Secure drywall with metal screws.’  This type of sentence structure is concise, is readily understandable, and is the recommended mood by the PRM. 

On occasion however, use of the indicative mood becomes mandatory and must be used in a project manual to clearly identify work scope responsibility, such as when identifying either a scope to the Owner or Contractor and during projects involving multiple prime contracts.  The imperative mood cannot be used in those cases to clearly delineate accountability.  This condition of using the indicative mood occurs primarily in Division 00 Documents and Division 01 Sections.  One example is where some Owner’s may provide their own or certain temporary utilities and controls or require the Contractor to do so. 

In another example, even using the indicative mood is not sufficient where using “Contractor shall” when more than one Contractor is under contract will lead to work scope ambiguity.  If the scope is to be performed by a particular Contractor, then proper language could be “General Contractor shall”, which identifies the specific Contractor responsible for the action.  In the case of temporary heating where multiple Contractors could be responsible at different times during construction, the specification should identify who and when, such as the “General Contractor” shall provide temporary heating until the building is fully enclosed, at which point scope responsibility transfers to the “Heating Contractor”.  The indicative mood in these examples gives clear, complete, concise, and correct communication and is better than the imperative mood.  In Divisions 02 through 49, use of the imperative mood is preferred, since particular work scopes and Contractors are generally defined via Division 01 specification Sections. 

In summary, use the imperative mood as the standard method and the indicative mood when identifying scope by either the Owner or Contractor and with multiple prime contracts to clearly define scope responsibility for each Contractor.

DB's Corner: ASTM

By Dennis Buirge

It would be surprising to find someone using construction documents who has not ‘heard’ of ASTM standards.  How many, though, have an introductory understanding regarding the meaning of those letters and numbers?  Specification writers in particular are familiar with those 4 letters, ASTM, as standards are frequently used when preparing a specification, especially in the ‘reference standard’ method.  The intent of this blog is to give an introduction to various meanings so that one could at least call themselves an introductory neophyte regarding an understanding of ASTM standards. 

If your specification Section incorporates a PART 1 Article entitled ‘References’ and includes “ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials”, you are now about a decade behind the times.  With ASTM founded in 1898 as the American Section of the International Association for Testing and Materials, it predates other standards organizations such as BSI (1901), DIN (1917), ANSI (1918) and AFNOR (1926).  The organization's headquarters located in West Conshohocken, PA, is about 5 miles NW of Philadelphia.  ASTM currently includes members from more than 120 nations, and with about one of every five members living outside the United States and the standards being used around the world in many applications, a new name, ASTM International, Inc. was established in 2001.  In addition, a new logo was included to underscore their international scope and message.  There are now about 12,000 standards that can be searched for titles, scopes, adoptions, referenced documents, index terms, number of pages, and prices on the ASTM website. 

In a specification, one might see a standard reference of ASTM B 221, where there is at least a letter and up to a four digit number, but may also include a dash and a two digit number.  So what is the meaning of that designation in ASTM standards?  The first letter identifies a general designation, followed by its serial number, which is separated from the standard’s year designation by a dash.  The general designation legend is as follows:  A = Ferrous Metals, B = Nonferrous Metals, C = Cementitious, Ceramic, Concrete, and Masonry Materials, D = Miscellaneous Materials, E = Miscellaneous Subjects, F = Materials for Specific Applications, G = Corrosion, Deterioration, and Degradation of Materials, and H = Joint Committee and District Recipients.  One would then know that ASTM B 221 falls into the nonferrous metals category and happens to be extruded aluminum; B 209 identifies sheet aluminum.  The year need not be referenced in Divisions 02 - 49 specifications, if there is a statement in Division 01 that the most current standard at the time of bidding is valid. 

All ASTM standards fall into 15 sections with each section containing many volumes.  The example for construction relates to its falling in Section 4, where there are 13 volumes (4.01 - 4.13).   If one were interested in obtaining all 12,000 standards in all 82 volumes, get out your checkbook, as the 2010 edition is available for approximately $9,700 (verify actual amount with the ASTM website).  About 1,300 construction related standards in a 4 volume set are available, however their website indicates only electronic files are now available and no longer in book form.  The beginning of each construction related volume first includes an alphabetic listing of standards by “content” and then by “list of subjects”, which identifies each standard in one of the six different types explained in the next paragraph. 

The standards are uniform in format and follow the same rigorous approval procedures.  In general, there are six different types of ASTM standards: Test Method - a definitive procedure that produces a test result [Example - E 283-04 Standard Test Method for Determining Rate of Air Leakage Through Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls, and Doors Under Specified Pressure Differences Across the Specimen]; Specification - an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product, system, or service [Example - B 2-08 Standard Specification for Medium-Hard-Drawn Copper Wire]; Guide - information or series of options that does not recommend a specific course of action [Example - C 1193-09 Standard Guide for Use of Joint Sealants]; Practice - a definitive set of instructions for performing one or more specific operations that does not produce a test result [Example - A 807-08 Standard Practice for Installing Corrugated Steel Structural Plate Pipe for Sewers and Other Applications]; Classification - a systematic arrangement or division of materials, products, systems, or services into groups based on similar characteristics such as origin, composition, properties, or use [Example - D 448-08 Standard Classification for Sizes of Aggregates for Road and Bridge Construction]; and Terminology - a document comprising definitions of terms; explanations of symbols, abbreviations, or acronyms [Example - D 16-08 Standard Terminology for Paint, Related Coatings, Materials, and Applications]. 

In addition to all of the aforementioned information, there can still be up to 5 callouts with additional numbers and letters that could cause severe confusion.  One example for a classification type standard would be: ASTM D 4066-01 PA0610G33A49360UA067.  Have fun with that one!  Anyone seeking more detailed information regarding ASTM standards can ‘google’ various websites. 

Lastly, MasterSpec and other specification software generally incorporate ASTM standards that include references to both Imperial and SI (metric) units.  An example relating to guy and tie wires for planting stabilization in Section 329300 would be ASTM A 641/A 641M.  If the project manual is not specifying SI units for the project, the specification writer(s) SHOULD NOT include those SI references.  The previous example would be correctly written as ‘ASTM A 641’.  Removing those SI references could be physically deleted or ‘turned off’ via electronic software. 

Next Blog:  Are you sure?

DB's Corner - Substantial Completion

By Dennis Buirge

QUESTION:  How many inspection(s) does the design professional perform during the construction of a project, albeit site related, landscape related, building related, or facility related?

A.   None.  Only observations are performed.

B.   One.  Only at substantial completion.

C.   Two.  At substantial completion and final completion.

D.   Many.  During each site visit and job conference meeting, as stipulated in the Owner/Architect Agreement. 

During the construction period the design professional visits the site, attends job conferences, resolves design issues, and monitors the work via observations.  At some point during construction of a project and prior to Owner occupancy, it becomes necessary for an initial formal review of the completed work to confirm whether it conforms to the Contract Documents.  Anything not in compliance, either if not yet complete and/or being contrary to project requirements will be so noted for resolution by the Contractor(s).  This process is clearly defined in Section 007200 - General Conditions, identifying Contractor, Architect, and Owner actions. 

That INITIAL formal review is normally referred to as Substantial Completion (SC) and differs in time and action from the FINAL formal review that occurs during Final Completion (FC).  SC is defined as the date when the project, or a portion of the project, is determined by the A/E to be sufficiently complete so that the Owner can use it for its intended purpose.  While references to SC can be found in miscellaneous paragraphs of Section 007200, the main Article occurs as 9.8.  That article clearly defines 6 issues that must be addressed prior to the project being considered SC: all project parts and systems are accessible, operable and usable by Owner, including site work and HVAC systems; project is clean; operation and maintenance manuals have been submitted; training of Owner’s personnel has taken place; annotated Record Documents have been submitted; and certifications and approvals by authorities having jurisdiction have been issued.  SC includes the Contractor(s) providing a ‘comprehensive’ list of incomplete work that is given to the design professional, who then establishes its own list, which when combined become the ‘punch list’.  The punch list needs to include costs associated with each work scope and a total time to complete all outstanding and/or corrective work.  The design professional completes a form, includes various attachments, at which point the Owner may take possession of the facility.  SC could be established for the entire project; however phased SC can occur commensurate with phased construction.  While the date of SC will be defined in the Contract Documents as contract time, the date of FC may or may not, but it will be established as part of SC. 

While some work scopes are a bit easier to identify during design as it relates to projecting work time frames and establishing the date of SC, what about those few that might be problematic?  How are they to be defined in the Contract Documents?  At least one of you might be thinking, Denny, what are you talking about?  I am thinking about landscaping.  With growing seasons in various areas having limited time frames and work occurring around the site, it might not be possible for landscaping to be totally ‘complete’ within the contract time.  Complete for grass by my definition means grass sown, grass matured, grass cut, and grass fully established.  When does the grass become substantially complete when the building was SC months previously? 

Division 32 specification Sections regarding landscaping would define acceptance parameters for grass and plantings.  Possibilities for defining SC for this work scope could be:  1) identify the grass/plantings as a phased element, coordinating its SC date with the landscape architect, and stating such in the bidding documents; 2) include the grass/plantings as part of the original SC and identify the grass/plantings as a punch list item with a sufficient FC date allowing for full development of the landscaping. 

During my early years in the business, I was incorrectly informed regarding the meaning of observations and inspections with the true definitions being learned through CSI related activities. Initial and final formal reviews performed by the design professional during SC and FC are considered inspections; previous reviews are observations.  Therefore the correct answer to the initial question is C, two inspections.

Next Blog:  What’s with ASTM?